Compilation of Last Interglacial (Marine Isotope Stage 5e) sea-level indicators in the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and the east coast of Florida, USA
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Published:2022-05-19
Issue:5
Volume:14
Page:2385-2399
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ISSN:1866-3516
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Container-title:Earth System Science Data
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Earth Syst. Sci. Data
Author:
Dutton AndreaORCID, Villa AlexandraORCID, Chutcharavan Peter M.
Abstract
Abstract. This paper provides a summary of published sea-level archives
representing the past position of sea level during the Last Interglacial sea-level highstand in the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and the eastern (Atlantic)
coast of Florida, USA. These data were assembled as part of a community
effort to build the World Atlas of Last Interglacial Shorelines (WALIS)
database. Shallow marine deposits from this sea-level highstand are
widespread across the region and are dominated by carbonate sedimentary
features. In addition to depositional (constructional) sedimentary
indicators of past sea-level position, there is also evidence of erosion,
dissolution, and/or subaerial exposure in places that can place an upper
limit on the position of sea level. The sea-level indicators that have been
observed within this region and attributed to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e
include corals, oolites, and other coastal sedimentary features. Here we compile a total of 50 relative sea-level indicators including 36 in
the Bahamas, three in West Caicos, and a remaining 10 for the eastern
seaboard of Florida. We have also compiled U-Th age data for 24 fossil
corals and 56 oolite samples. While some of these archives have been dated
using U-Th disequilibrium methods, amino acid racemization, or optically
stimulated luminescence, other features have more uncertain ages that have
been deduced in the context of regional mapping and stratigraphy.
Sedimentary archives in this region that constrain the elevation of the past
position of sea level are associated with uncertainties that range from a
couple of decimeters to several meters. Across the Bahamas and on West Caicos,
one of the observations that emerges from this compilation is that
estimation of sea-level position in this region during Marine Isotope Stage
5e is complicated by widespread stratigraphic evidence for at least one sea-level oscillation. This evidence is defined by submarine features separated
by erosion and subaerial exposure, meaning that there were likely multiple
distinct peaks in sea level rather than just one. To this end, the timing of
these individual sea-level indicators becomes important when compiling and
comparing data across the region given that different archives may have
formed during different sub-orbital peaks in sea level. The database can be found at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5596898 (Dutton et al., 2021).
Funder
National Science Foundation
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Subject
General Earth and Planetary Sciences
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